Enhancing the Lithium Storage Performance of Graphene/SnO2 Nanorods by a Carbon-Riveting Strategy

Graphene/metal oxide (MO) nanocomposites hold great promise for application as anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the restacking of graphene during subsequent processing remains a challenge to overcome for enhanced lithium storage properties. Herein, the fabrication of sandwich-architecture carbon-riveted graphene/SnO2 nanorods, in which the SnO2 nanorods are confined in the nanospaces formed by the carbon layers on graphene, by a two-step hydrothermal process followed by thermal treatment, is reported. Electrochemical tests show that the carbon-riveted nanolayers significantly improve the lithium storage performance of graphene/SnO2. The nanocomposite displays a high reversible capacity of 815 mAhg(-1) after 150 cycles at 100 mAg(-1) and high cycling stability at 1000 mAg(-1). This work provides an efficient way to manipulate graphene/MO-based nanocomposites for LIBs with improved performance.